


Sharing Words

by Falmouth



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, cute and awkard moments, secondary oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 17:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2515337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falmouth/pseuds/Falmouth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Armin understood. He finally saw the things Jean loved to talk about. He saw them in the shimmer of his hazel eyes. He saw them in his slightly open mouth, in the corners of his lips always turned up in a little, sincere smile. Armin smiled too.”<br/>In which Armin looks for a job and ends up planning a wedding and befriend the bride's nephew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sharing Words

After so many years of friendship, Eren thought he knew Armin well. He knew basic things such as his favorite color and what he liked to eat for breakfast, that he was very sensitive to the cold and therefore often wore old-fashioned jumpers, he knew about his love for old books' covers and the smell of briny air, or that he always felt a little guilty when he dragged once a week both him and Mikasa in the forest near the city for “discovering the astounding secrets of nature” which most of the times consisted in boring rocks or weird-shaped plants. Yet, he still found himself extremely astonished when he went to his friend's house one morning and found the blond with a backpack on his shoulder and his hair tied up neatly, saying that he was busy because he had found a job.

“It's not really a job” Armin corrected himself, trying to do up his shoes as quickly as possible “I tidy up… bookcases. For people. See you later.” Eren wasn't sure if he had understood.

“You do what?” he tried to ask, but Armin had already left, leaving behind him the echo of a laugh and a very confused Eren, that wasn't so sure anymore if he knew his friend well enough.

 

 

–

 

Eren asked for explanation a bit later, with a message full of angry emoticons that made Armin break the silence of the gloomy train he was on with his cheerful laugh.

_Don't get so worked up, I just found myself a pretty enjoyable job to do in this sabbatical year, so next one I can afford going to university. And it's not anything that strange,_ _I just go to people’ houses and reorganize their large, messy bookshelves. I clean all the books, put them in alphabetical order… stuff like that. Many people are very messy for this sort of things: buy a book now, buy a book then, you never know where you actually put it.._

 

 

–

 

Armin was enthusiast. Ms. Leavitt had called him a couple of days before and she had been the first to ask him for help since he had put the announcement the prior Wednesday. He had spent the whole weekend thinking what type of books she might have, if her collection was mostly novels or essays or if she liked Ancient Greek literature like he did.

When he finally reached his destination, he didn't find a welcoming, little country house with pastel-coloured shutters like he had imagined, but a majestic seventeenth century mansion, with a well-finished garden full of so many plants and flowers that even _he_ couldn't name them all. Before knocking at the door, he wandered around a little, and found that in the backyard there was a reproduction of an ancient statue that was transformed in a fountain and a tiny lake on the right, for the amusement of a little family of wild ducks.

To be honest, he was a bit surprised at the beginning. Why someone that could afford such a _castle_ asked Armin, an ordinary student that had just graduated from high school, to help them with housework?

 

 

–

 

The answer arrived a couple of hours later, with a tray of cookies and an annoyed expression.

Ms. Leavitt had been incredibly welcoming with him, asking if he needed anything before starting his work and thanking him for being so helpful. Armin hadn't responded because he had almost fainted when he had seen the room that was labeled as 'Library'. It had an oval shape, and in the middle there was an old rosewood desk encircled by four bookshelves as high as the ceiling, with flowers and spirals finely carved out in the wood. Ms. Leavitt had laughed at his reaction and then left him alone, in his adoration of that magnificent collection.  
Soon enough he had been fully concentrated in his work, and started dusting all the books one by one, putting them again on the library in alphabetical order. He had just stopped once or twice when he had found a first original print of his favourite novel and later on when his eyes had spotted a four hundred pages long essay about the ocean and sea creatures.

He was looking at its pictures on top of the ladder, trying not to fall down, and he hadn't noticed the guy that had entered in the room until he let out a loud _gasp._

After a couple of minutes of stuttering and awkward smiles – the boy wouldn't stop saying things like “I never expected the 'library-cleaner', my mom called you like that, to be a guy my age”, “I thought it would be some boring grumpy old lady”, “Sorry I dropped the biscuits, my aunt forced me to bring some to you and in the meanwhile check if you were still alive and not suffocated under a stack of books” –, Armin found out that his name was Jean.

They greeted briefly and Armin soon found out too that the above mentioned _castle_ wasn't anyone's residence but just an old villa rented for a very special occasion: the wedding of Jean's aunt. Jean explained that she wanted a little, intimate marriage, nothing too special, and that she was very aware of how hard was for university students to find a job, hence she were delighted to help Armin and pay him for a little housework. And maybe that was why Jean didn't looked impressed at all – rather, he had a worried expression – when Armin proudly showed him his work.

“See that shelf on the right? There I put all the foreign literature in original language. I never thought I could _touch_ a copy of the first edition of _Buddenbrooks_ and _The Raw Youth_... In the main bookcase instead there are all English novels: I'm so jealous, some were even in more than one copy... I wish I could afford it too! In the top shelf instead there are some essays: a couple of them were very interesting! For example, there was this one about...”

His voice – and enthusiasm – slowly faded out once he saw Jean's face.

“You know, I think you overdid a little. All this effort sure wasn't necessary... I think all that mum wanted was a _simple dusting_ here and there, just to be sure that during the ceremony... I don't know... a spider won't fall into Great-Aunt Betty's tea. Knowing her, she would hardly make it alive...”

 

 

–

 

Armin could see Jean's face slowly become more and more embarrassed as his aunt hugged him in a tight embrace, petting his hair and ignoring all his useless attempts to escape. He had to admit, he was pretty embarrassed too, not knowing what to do in that kind of situation. He just stood there, in the middle of the entrance hall, biting his lower lip and scratching his right arm uncomfortably, trying to think of something else and ignoring all Ms. Leavitt babbling to his nephew – but it was hard to, because the woman's high-pitched voice couldn't go unnoticed –.

The room was just like the ones he saw in historical films, with a double symmetrical staircase with an elaborated handrail. -“Jean, dear! Where were you? Me and your mother needed your help before! Did you explore the house?”-. In the middle of the room stood a magnificent chandelier and Armin admired open-mouthed his plate glass drops falling from the ceiling. A sight like that during the night sure would have been ravishing... -“You know I love you Jean, but... that hair! It's so weird, why do you like it like that? It's a thing for you teenagers? It was so cute when you were little, just like the rest of you. I really hope my future child will be as adorable as you, Jean, my _little_ adorable nephew...” -. Armin looked down at the floor, at its tiles and tried to concentrate on every little particular. That tile on the left, for example, wasn't as white as the others. Instead, it was more of a beige color, he would dare to say. Moreover, there-

“I am glad to see that you met our little Armin here.” Armin looked up when he heard his name, and gave an embarrassed smile at the woman who was looking at him fondly. “Are you okay dear? I was a bit worried a book might have eaten you!”

“I- I'm okay, thank you.” It was then when Armin noticed Jean's desperate face, cheek pressed against his aunt's chest.

“Yeah, we acknowledged that he's still alive, great, please can you leave me now. Auntie?” Jean said, taking advantage of the fact that his aunt was now occupied talking with the blond and finally freeing himself.

Armin smiled at Jean's behavior. His relationship with his family was definitely different from the one Armin had, and the blond found interesting seeing what a _normal_ family might look like. Having the loved ones always by your side that you could take the liberty to be stubborn, or angry at them, or not show how much they were important to you every day of your life. For Armin, this was a privilege he didn't have anymore. If only he could see his parents again, just once... he could have hold them, telling them how much he loved them and...

His attention was brought back to the pair when he heard Ms. Leavitt's voice thanking him for his hard work and telling him that his money was on the small table near the door.

“Come on dear, I'll go with you there. Jean, now that you are finally here and _not_ lost somewhere, can you please help me with a thing? I know it must be boring for you helping me with the wedding but... your opinion is very important to me. Do me this favour: go down in the kitchen, Sasha prepared different types of cupcakes and sweets. Try them and choose your favourite, what do you think?”

Jean groaned. Armin knew very well that sound: it was the same Eren did when Mikasa told him to tidy his room or when Armin reminded him that he wasn't going to let him copy his homework again – but Eren always managed to convince Armin one way or another.

This, followed by the pitiful look Jean sent him a moment later, triggered something inside Armin and he didn't even realize what he said a moment later until he actually said it.  
“Miss Leavitt? Do you think I can help too? I- I don't want to be paid. I just think that maybe” he paused “maybe Jean might like a little help”. He smiled brightly, cheeks red because of his embarrassing, strange request.

The grin on Jean's face, though, made everything seem easier.

 

 

–

 

Talking with Jean was nice. Nicer than he thought.

They were sitting on the stools in front of the kitchen countertop, waiting for Sasha to bring them the second tray of cupcakes.

Armin still hadn't clear in his mind how he found himself in that situation, but he wasn't going to complain. He had just blurted out an offer, without really thinking what he was saying and Jean had inexplicably accepted. He started to think if he was in Jean's place, would have he done the same? Probably not. But Jean was Jean and he had said yes.

For being a complete stranger, he knew how to keep a conversation going. It was like Armin was five years old again, when at the beach kids approached one another for no particular reason, asking 'Do you wanna be friends?'. Armin haven't ever thought it was possible at the age of nineteen, too. They didn't say that particular phrase out loud, but talking with Jean about school, interests and friends gave him the same feeling. A positive feeling.

Jean had just graduated from the local high-school and in a few weeks he was going to start university for computer graphics. He was surprised when he found out that Armin was going to wait a year before continuing his studies.

“Not gonna judge a book by its cover, but you seem someone that actually... likes to study. All that talking about books before gave me this idea. I mean, even _I_ am going to college, why you decided against it?”

Armin was too embarrassed to say that it was mainly for financial problems, so he just looked down and murmured a feeble “I haven't made up my mind yet. There are too many things that I like”. He could see Jean's grin even through the bangs over his eyes.

They talked about passions. Things that you loved so deeply that only thinking about them could make your heart race, so that you could feel it beating against your ribs, you could feel that funny feeling at the pit of your stomach, the shiver of excitement running through your spine.

Armin talked about the ocean. At first he though it was something private, only his, that he didn't want to share, but when Jean had asked him “Really? What do you like then?” the answer just came easy to him. A flow of information started running from his mouth: he told the brunet about sea creatures, about the multitude of colors water could look like, about how fascinating was the unknown.

He saw, though, when he started digressing on the importance of seaweed, that Jean's attention was decreasing and he quickly stopped himself, but at least appreciated that the other had not stopped him once, rather he had continued smiling all the time.

Jean talked a lot too. Armin noticed how he always looked up at the ceiling, with dreamy eyes, as if the things he loved where stuck up there.

At one point he was tempted to glance up too, to see if the 'culinary art, FPS videogames and bad tv shows aired in the middle of the night' were actually there.

But then Jean looked down again, staring intently at Armin.

“I like languages, too. I think they're awesome. I want to know everything about them, their story, their evolution... I want to travel the world to learn them better.”

Armin understood. He finally saw the things Jean loved to talk about. He saw them in the shimmer of his hazel eyes. He saw them in his slightly open mouth, in the corners of his lips always turned up in a little, sincere smile. Armin smiled too.

 

 

–

 

Eren didn't like much Armin's newfound friendship with the marriage-boy, how he had started to call him, and always tried to peek at his phone when the other was typing frenetically a message, but in the end couldn't do much about the blond's friends choices.

Armin met with Jean every three or four days at the mansion, with the excuse of helping organize everything for the upcoming marriage. He said to Ms. Leavitt and Mrs Kirschtein -Jean's mom- that he refused to be paid, saying that he was just helping a friend out, and after a while the two women gave up asking, just looking at each other and sharing a little smile.

With a little of company Jean seemed to enjoy everything a little better, even if it was obvious he was trying to deny it. Armin noticed thought, that after hours of going upstairs and downstairs and then upstairs again to bring big boxes to the ballroom, after numerous groans at his mother's requests (“Ma', I don't know which bow seems better for the windows. Really, is there any difference between lilac and lavender? They look exactly the same to me” and “ No, I wasn't trying to avoid you to go playing videogames, what gave you that idea?!” ) when they had to think of a pattern to draw on the place cards, he wasn't even trying anymore and just enjoyed himself.

“I still don't understand why they make me do everything. Can't they call like... a professional cards artist or something. I know Auntie wants to do a family-only wedding but... Woah, Armin! Your handwriting is really cute!” He took off of Armin's hand the little paper where the blond had scribbled a few names of the list in front of them.

“I- I mean, it suits the occasion. Okay, you're officially the write-names-on-cards-guy in this mission. I'll think of the drawings.”

Armin smiled and nodded. He knew he had a girlish and curvy handwriting, especially when he put effort into it, but no-one had ever described it as _cute_ with a positive meaning and not a mocking one.

“Sounds great! Do you have something in mind?” He took another paper and drew a rectangle in it, and then an horizontal line, so that they knew where they had to fold the card.

“What do you think about some heavy clouds on the top, then a lighting falls on the name, like it's saying: “Ha! Gods wanted that this seat was destined to you! Accept their will or you'll have to pay the consequences of your actions!” He raised his fist towards the sky dramatically. Armin smiled.

“I think that's a bit exaggerated. You don't need to scare the guests. Moreover, it could be a bad omen and bring a storm. And I don't think anyone wants a cloudburst the day of their wedding.”

“If I add some bows and ribbons do you think it will play it down?”

Armin didn't answer at first, biting his pencil and looking at Jean with furrowed brows.

“I don't think it will help much-”

“Then what about something that resemble the sea? Like, a blurred pastel colored background, in the middle the name written with your cute handwriting and then the drawing of a fish or something in a corner. A different animal for every guest. In this way everyone has his own, and it's special and unique. You like the ocean, right?”

Jean said everything almost without breathing and the last words came out a bit more high-pitched than maybe he intended to, but Armin didn't care.

He looked at Jean open-mouthed, with sparkling eyes and a hint of a smile on his rosy lips.

Jean didn't need an answer. “Great. Can you think of... thirty-one different marine animals?”

 

 

–

 

“ _Thank you for saving me from that nightmare.”_

“ _You're welcome.”_

“ _We are a great team together, we should do that more.”_

“ _What? Eating cupcakes and planning marriages?”_

“ _No, no. I already told you this was a nightmare, I couldn't bear organize someone's else. I mean... other things?”_

“ _Oh, really? Like what?”_

“ _Like a coffee.”_

“ _You want to work for food industries now?”_

“ _What? No, I'm... uh... just asking you out, I guess... Then we could go to the park and hang out a bit, and... do what you do on dates. What do you think?”_

“ _Deal.”_

 

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea for the last jearmin week but oops right. I'm a slow writer. Also, I'm still not 100% confident with my English, so please tell me if there are any mistakes! I hope you liked this, it was fun writing it :)


End file.
